Long Rays and Eternal Light
by TheMuncher101
Summary: Mitsue Youko isn't bothered about being in the narutoverse. She'd planned on being a kunoichi to protect her family, without having to interfere. Everything sorts itself out in the end, after all. This, of course, becomes nearly impossible when she realises her Academy class is...the Rookie Nine's class. Oh joy. ...They're going to grow on her, aren't they? Only time can tell. [OC]


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**  
 **I do,** **however, own the Mitsue Clan and its characters plus a few OCs you'll see here and there.**

 **It's Rated M because this is, after all, a world of killers? There may be some graphic scenes and maybe some thing else** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but I'm not sure lol.**

 **Hope you like it!**

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~ **Long Rays and Eternal Light** ~

 _Prologue_

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The Mitsue Clan was a minor one. They had a kekkei genkai, one that - to Youko at least - was pretty darn impressive. It was quite shocking when she realised they'd never been mentioned in the anime or manga. Then again, there wasn't a lot of focus on Clans in general.

Still. Their kekkei genkai involved a sort of genjustu or manipulation of light and/or water vapour that came naturally to all members - one where the user of the bloodline created a duplicate image of themselves and temporarily became _invisible_. It was basically creating a mirage of themselves so, for example, a ninja in battle could fool their opponent into thinking they were somewhere for a split second or two, and then use it to their advantage to kill them. The most common chakra nature in the clan was water, and their name was written with the two kanji "mitsu" and "e". It stood for light/ray and eternity/long/lengthy. Basically, the Mitsue Clan was the clan of eternal light, or the "Long Rays", as they'd once been known as.

The main drawback from their kekkei genkai (a drawback that seemed to be the reason why it was classified as "useless" compared to other clans' inherited abilities) was that it was extremely chakra intensive. Someone with the average genin-level reserves would most likely die of chakra exhaustion, someone with average chunin-level reserves would be rendered useless for a _while_ , and a shinobi with jonin-level reserves shouldn't risk using anymore ninjustu in that fight.

They were also a relatively small clan, each nuclear family never having had more than one, perhaps two, children. In the Clan Wars Era they'd been significantly larger, of course nowhere near as big as the Senju or the Uchiha, but they'd been about a quarter of their sizes at least. Now they were barely up to _20 members._

The Mitsue Clan had joined Konoha not too long after it had been founded but quickly blended into the background. They had somewhat of a wallflower-type attitude, silent and incredibly observant, and made fantastic information-gatherers. They were generally intelligent, and though nowhere near Nara-level smart, their brains did set them apart from others.

Over time in Konoha the clan had become more reserved, their trust hard-won and their interest or undivided attention was rarely given to anyone outside the clan. Their reluctance to get chummy with anyone other than clan members had secluded them, and they blended into the crowd of civilians quite well. Not that they would ever complain, seeing as they were quite comfortable just looking and learning without being approached. They were particularly close-knit, acting more like a big, protective family, than a clan.

As for physical appearances...they were quite plain. Hair that was a little curled and unruly had a colour that was usually around blond to light brown, eyes either an ever-changing hazel, dark chocolate, or hard black charcoal colour. Their complexion varied from slightly-fairer than usual to a dark tan. There was one thing, though, that was a clear separation from the Fire Nation's inhabitants' usual looks.

At the base of their skull, right where it met the neck, they all had an unnaturally straight line that spanned from one side to the other. It was wide enough to be notable if a Mitsue had their hair tied up, but usually, it was hidden by it.

The most striking thing about this line, this marking, though, was that it was iridescent. Kaleidoscopic.

Interesting.

Youko sighed. It was annoying, but she'd have to work very hard if she wanted to survive in this world. Meaning she'd have to become a kunoichi. Meaning she'd have to do a lot of physical activity and basically, be trained to slaughter. Which meant she had to put in _100% effort right from the beginning_ if she didn't want to _be_ the one getting slaughtered.

In her previous life, everything had always been easy peasy. She'd barely ever had to study for school and tests because she'd observed with rapt attention in class and absorbed enough information.

Youko has definitely been put into the right clan. As Amila, all she ever did was observe.

As Youko, she'd do the same. And more. Because she had to if she wanted to survive. If she wanted her _family_ to survive.

Now all she had to do was join the Academy. She'd be the first Mitsue to become a shinobi in _decades_. (There was no way she wasn't going to succeed. When a Mitsue put their mind to something, there was no stopping them.)

 _Oh, well_.

At five and a half years (plus Amila's 23), with no idea where in the timeline she was - she only had a sneaking suspicion to rely on - Mitsue Youko turned to her father after dinner that peaceful, warm Konoha summer night and said,

"Tou-san, I want to become a Kunoichi."

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

It only took an hour or two for her family to accept her decision. It came as a bit of a shock to her nearly-civilian clan, but luckily only her mother and grandmother made a bit of a fuss. Hey, they were worried. Youko could understand that.

She wanted to become a _killer_.

Fortunately, her father had helped reassure her Kaa-chan, having seen the hard glint in her eyes at her declaration and fully accepting there was nothing he could do - Mitsue Yousuke was a sensible man like that.

What he'd said, however, to calm her mother down, was what really caught Youko's interest.

Turning to her grandmother, who'd also protested at the idea of her becoming a shinobi, Youko raised her eyebrow in surprise. "You were a kunoichi, oba-chan?"

Her soft, kind, loud and skittish woman of a grandma, a _kunoichi_? Not what she expected.

With a tired sigh, the elderly lady (who was really only just in her mid to late fifties) nodded, "Yes, Ko-chan. A long, long time ago, in a different world." After a short pause, her oba-chan continued with a pinched expression on her face, "Please tell me you aren't serious?"

Youko frowned at how it seemed more of a question than a statement. _Why was she so bothered? It couldn't only be because her grandma was overprotective, right?_

"I am not saying this as a joke, oba-chan. I want to become a kunoichi."

With another sigh, the ex-shinobi stood and motioned for Youko to get closer. "Walk with me, child."

With a glance at her parents for their approval, and after seeing their nods, the five-year-old took her grandmother's hand and stepped outside with her, quickly noting they were going in the direction of a little park a block from her home.

"Youko, I want you to understand what it is you want to get into." Her grandmother said abruptly, breaking the tense yet somehow comfortable silence.

"I know, oba-chan. I know I'm gonna hafta kill at some point, and I know I'm gonna see some sad things I won't be able to stop." Youko wasn't worried about sounding too much older than her age. Her family was used to it by now and had accepted it with open arms.

Her grandmother's eyes studied her sharply for a brief moment. After a couple of seconds, she spoke again. "I see."

Youko's free hand twitched at the response, mind going a mile a minute. _What does she mean by that?_

The girl squeezed her grandma's hand reassuringly (or at least what she hoped it was so) and lead her to a bench at the front of the park.

"Ne, oba-chan." Youko said after a few minutes of watching the trees sway in the soft evening breeze.

After hearing a "hm?" The youngest Mitsue pushed on.

"Will you help me train?"

There was a pause and a stillness in the air that made Youko's shoulders tense with anticipation.

Finally her oba-chan smiled and replied softly, "Of course I will."

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

It shouldn't have come as a surprise, really, that her muscles would protest and scream like a newborn baby.

God. _Fucking_. Damnit.

Phew, okay. The first week was the worst. Her grandmother (who she will never see in the same light again - holy damn that woman could be merciless) made her run so much, a hatred from another time bubbled up again - stupid. _Youko was glad to see that she was naturally better at long-distance in this world, and had retained Amila's impressive sprinting-speed._

(Not kidding. It was a _blessing_.)

Her oba-chan had stressed the importance of taijutsu and the not-chakra-reliant aspect of being a shinobi since a Mitsue as a ninja was a Mitsue that needed to use their kekkei genkai. The big chakra drain that came with it meant they'd have to pay special attention to having something to fall back on that did not involve chakra and it also meant they'd have to do a lot to increase her chakra control and reserves.

Increased control helped her reduce the waste in every jutsu Youko used and the reserve was so she had a smaller chance of dying when the point came that she had to unlock and use her kekkei genkai.

 _Joy._

But for the moment they couldn't mess with the chakra related stuff since, as her grandmother continuously repeated, she was barely _six years old._

That meant all the physical stuff came now.

Oh, and the books. Lotsa books.

Which Youko didn't mind. Books were very nice, but she preferred the fantasy ones.

At least they were _hella_ interesting.

(Her grandma made her read a bunch of books on the theory of jutsus and chakra control and a few medical books that were thrown in the pile at the insistence of the elderly Mitsue - "you should always know how to heal yourself in case of an emergency. I don't _care_ if you find it difficult, _learn it_!")

(Amila had been a doctor. She loved this kinda stuff and it was just a massive plus that she could learn about the medicinal herbs and miraculous ways in which chakra could heal. She heard something about poison, too, and boy did she want to get started on _that_.)

Within a month or two Youko could see, feel the difference in her body already. It was amazing, really, and with a jolt, she realised that whatever she learned in her past life about physics and limitations and impossibilities or whatnot really didn't matter now. Because soon enough she'd get to use chakra to enhance all of her abilities.

 _This world is awesome_.

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

"Ne, oba-chan. Could I have a constant flow of chakra in my body to enhance myself that I don't stop so my reserves get bigger _and_ I move quicker?"

"Mm… I suppose you could have one, but that would mean your body might get too used to having chakra to fall back on and I've already told you how important it is to save up on it."

"But won't I get so used to it that it'll barely take away from my reserves? And can't I just use weights or something to keep my body from getting lazy or something?"

"Good questions. I'd say we put that to the test but the effects of your muscles constantly being given a boost with chakra, no matter how small, can tear them or mess the fibres up or whatever. We'd have to have an iryo-nin with us at all times."

"Hmm…"

"Indeed."

"I don't want to sound like a Nara but this is _so_ troublesome."

Mitsue Yaruki barked out a laugh at her granddaughter's moan of annoyance.

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

Youko fiddled with her frizzy blond-streaked light brown hair. Her dark honey eyes rested on the cake in front of her and her knee bounced impatiently.

"-PPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KOOOOOO-CHANNNNNN, HAPPY BIIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAY TOOO YOUUUUUU!"

With a deep breath, she blew out her candles. Six of them. With a face-splitting grin that squeezed her eyes shut and rounded her big cheeks, Youko looked up at her family briefly before something forced her head down from behind.

And right _into the cake_.

"Tou-san!" Screeched the kunoichi-in-training as loud peals of laughter erupted around her. A split second passed before a devilish smirk appeared on the birthday girl's face.

Mercilessly, messily, the six-year-old grabbed a chunk of cake, ignoring her mother's wails of " _not the cake_!" and she flung it _straight_ at her father's face.

 _Huh. I guess all that target practice really paid off._ Youko thought, stunned by the precision of her own aim for the fragment of a second.

There was silence.

Then.

"FOOD FIGHT!" A cousin screamed at the top of his lungs, and Youko choked with laughter.

 _This_ is what she lived for.

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

"Oba-chan. I want you to run me through the wringer even more than you already do."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hm."

"And why?"

"Because I found my reason to be a shinobi."

"...I see."

Youko screamed with frustration, but there was an amused twinkle in her eyes. "Why are you always so cryptic?!"

Yaruki just cackled evilly at her legacy.

Youko felt love swell inside her.

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

The Mitsue kunoichi-to-be was shuffling nervously in front of the Academy gates. It was finally time.

"Don't worry so much, Ko-chan. You'll be fine."

Glancing up at her grandmother, Youko felt herself relax as the soothing, familiar waves of her oba-chan's chakra washed over her.

"Aa. We'll see how it goes."

Yaruki rolled her eyes. "Don't be such an adult. _I'm_ the cryptic, vague one. I will not allow you to _steal_ my position."

Youko laughed heartily. _Oh, right. I'm becoming a ninja so I can protect these moments and protect my people._ The Mitsue grinned toothily, _It's time to take the first step towards being able to do so._

Then she paused. _Ugh, that's so cheesy._

◕◕ಠ.ಠ◕◕

Youko deadpanned at the sight in front of her. There was a manically cackling bright blond kid with blue eyes hanging upside-down from the ceiling as a plain looking (with the exception of a scar running from one cheek to the other across the bridge of his nose) young adult wearing a chunin jacket yelled loudly at him.

Occupying many - _too many_ \- desks were fangirls that were squealing at a young boy of porcelain skin and midnight black hair and eyes as he scoffed at the blond. In the middle row of the left column of seats was a chubby light brown haired boy munching on chips and a dozing pineapple-haired boy next to him.

In the row in front of them was a shy and blushing indigo-haired girl with nearly-white eyes - no pupils - and next to her was a boy wearing shades and had a big jacket who's collar covered half his face, ignoring the wild brown-haired boy who sat next to him that had red clan markings and a puppy on his head and was screaming just as loud as the blond.

A row behind the scoffing boy was a blonde with pupil-less blue-green eyes and a pink-haired, emerald-eyed girl.

With a silent groan, Youko made her way to the very back of the class, sitting _right_ at the corner and deciding she'd try to block them all out.

 _Well, shit._

...At least she knew where in the timeline she was now. Turns out she was right.

She'd really hoped she wasn't.

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 **Let me know if you like it!**


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